Abstract
Acoustic levitation uses sound waves to hold objects in mid-air. We are all familiar with the power of sound to make us dance and change our moods, but sound can also exert a physical force that is strong enough to levitate objects. To harness this force, we use loudspeakers to form a sound pattern so that the object is surrounded by very loud sound. Scientists have used these ideas to levitate small objects such as insects, as well as extremely small objects like individual cells. They can then manipulate these objects, much like a robot would, but without any moving parts. So far, only relatively small levitating forces have been generated but, in theory, much higher forces could be produced and levitation of objects even the size of humans might be possible. Despite this exciting possibility, you might not want to be acoustically levitated yourself, for good reason!
Highlights
Acoustic levitation uses sound waves to hold objects in mid-air
The term applies to any energy source, but here we use it to mean a collection of loudspeakers, each contributing to create a loud sound at a point
We must carefully control the timing of the sound coming from each loudspeaker. If we get this timing right, the sound waves will come together to form the pattern of loud and quiet regions needed for acoustic levitation
Summary
We are all familiar with the power of sound to make us dance and change our moods, but sound can exert a physical force that is strong enough to levitate objects To harness this force, we use loudspeakers to form a sound pattern so that the object is surrounded by very loud sound. Scientists have used these ideas to levitate small objects such as insects, as well as extremely small objects like individual cells. Only relatively small levitating forces have been generated but, in theory, much higher forces could be produced and levitation of objects even the size of humans might be possible Despite this exciting possibility, you might not want to be acoustically levitated yourself, for good reason!
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